Ground Effect
by Speed'Force
Summary: When Abraham Kane pulls another Attack at Motorcity it seems like just one of those days. No problem for the Burners. But when Mutt crashes, and Chuck can't pull the ejection seat, things start to change… Still OS. you decide.


_Motorcity fanfic …^^; you decide wether this will be more then just a one shot._

He had told him a dozen times to slow down.

He had practically screamed it a dozen times because, you know, that was what Chuck would do. Screaming his head off.

It had been one of those ordinary days.

The Burners would just hang out in the garage, working on their cars. There'd be an alarm and they'd went off to fight off Kanes troupes.

This time, they were at the Westgate and Mutt made it just in time to fight them off. A train of bots however made it through.

„Shit!" Mike cursed and caused Mutt to turn on her wheels and drove after them. Juliets square Icon appeared next to the dashboard. „It's headed towards Motor City outskirts. Where the refinery is!" she reported and Mike shifted gear.

„We're on it." he smirked and looked over to Chuck, who was sitting next to him. „Can you hack into the main robot and change it's course?"

„I'm trying! I can't build a connection!" he shrieked as Mike took a curve too harshly and he was thrown against Mutts door. „Can't you slow down a bit?!" he asked as he began typing on the holoscreens.

Mike laughed „I'd lose them, and you know that." he grinned, pushed the arm to the right and then upwards, causing the two of them to be slammed into their seats. „If they mean to crush the refinery, we definetly have to be there before them. And I already got a plan!"

Chuck let out an exaggerated sigh and continued typing nevertheless, letting out his usual shrieks and screams whenever Mike would drive. Which was basically the entire time.

„There he is!" the leader of the Burners said as they reached the end of the train. It was hard to reach the first wagon. Let alone, pass it. „He's too fast for Mutt." Chuck said in that second and checked an mph-screen to his left.

It showed a rough 216 mph for Mutt and 256 for the train. „There is no way we can keep up to that!" he called and Mikes gaze turned to the left. A formation of rocks, build like a ramp was literally waving at him, not too far away. He grinned.  
„Watch us." he said and pulled over, causing Chuck to drop the holoscreens and cling at his safety belt for dear life.

„Mike you won't-! Mike don't! MIHIHIIIIIIIKEEEE!" Chuck screeched oversounding the roar of the engine as Mike made the jump with a cry of joy. For a straight forty seconds they flew through the air – Chuck counted every each of it – before they landed on top of the train, screeching metal of Mutts underbody assaulting their ears. Mike hit the pedal to the metal, shifted gears and drove on top of the train to the front, where he came to a halt. „Guess the connection is better here, huh?" he grinned and Chuck stared at his best friend from under his bangs, not able to believe that he really did pull that jump.

„I..I..oh man.." he panted and ran his hand through his blond hair. He shook on his entire body and tried to get a grip but he really needed a second for that. When he managed to do so, he pulled the screen back up by tipping the palm of his left hand.

„Mike? Chuck? How's it going?" Dutchs blockhead appeard and Mike smirked. „We're on top of the train. Chuckles is hacking in." he said.

„You're on top?!" Texas cut in. „Texas would have just blown it away!"

„Anyway", Dutch interrupted „you need to hurry, the refinery is only three miles away!" he said and Mikes head flew up and out of the front window. Indeed the refinery was in sight already.

„I GOT IT!" Chuck called in the very same second and they watched the train changing it's pace. Towards the rock-walls that surrounded the passage to the refinery.

„Uh..Chuck..?" Mike began slowly and Chuck looked at him.

„I trust you get us out here, man!" he called and Mike blinked.

He had never heard him say something like that. He knew Chuck always believed it, but he never heard him say it. The brunette started grinning „Alright!" he said and turned the key.

Only that Mutt wasn't starting.

Both of them froze.

„Come on, beautiful." Mike gritted his teeth and turned the key again, but Mutt only left out a stutter and then died again.

„Mike! Get us off!"

„I'm trying! What's wrong Mutt. Talk to me, baby!" she was only stuttering before dying once more. „Shit!" Mike cursed and meant to open the door to check Mutts underbody, but the gust of wind slammed his door shut right away.

„MIKEY!" Chuck called as the wall came closer.

„Ejection Seat!" was Mikes reply and they both put their hands to the panic switch. „On three." Chuck nodded and for some reasons, Mikes presence and his firm look were soothing. Calming.

They'd make it.

As long as they were together, they'd always make it.

It was a new law of science. Mike and Chuck together could make it out of any situation. Although he knew how hard it was to leave Mutt behind.  
And it really was. Mutt was his beauty. His one and all. But they could rebuild her. They'd always do. But they could never rebuild Chuck. Or Mike.

A car could always be rebuild, but not an entire life.

„One." Mike looked at him and Chuck hold on to the switch tight.

„Two." he said with a nod.

„Three!" they called and pulled. But while Mike was catapulted out of the car, Chucks switch was stuck.

And panic took the best of the programmer. He was whimpering when he tried to pull the lever back, again and again but it didn't budge and the fear made Chucks heart constrict as he looked toward the wall and began screaming. He was shaking and ripping the switch but it was not moving, just like Mutt did and Chuck wasn't ejecting the car and all he could do was sit there and stare because there was no way he could make it safely from the crush, even if he'd jump out. He did the math within seconds.

„Chuck?!" Mike was floating toward the ground already, on top of the rocks and had lost eyesight of his friend, so he called him via intercom. „Chuck where are you?!"

„Still inside Mutt!"

Mike froze and turned for his car and the train and Chuck inside and panic began stabbing his gut and his body and why didn't Chucks seat eject as well?! Mike ripped the safety belt off and ran for the edge of the cliff. „Chuck! Try the emergency-" his call was ended aprubtly by the explosion.

The train slammed into the wall full force, causing Mutt to slip forward and crash into the rocks that were raining down on it.

The earth underneath Mikes feet shattered and quickly, the brown haired jumped back, his eyes focussed in horror on the catastrophe that occured and his mind was racing because all of that had to be a nightmare.

Yes he fainted upon ejecting the car and he knew, he'd wake up soon and Chuck would be there hovering above him worried like crazy. He sunk to his knees and hit his shoulder in hope of waking himself up. His body had to react to the pain.

But he didn't. His shoulder hurt and that was all.

He was not waking up.

And Chuck really did crash along with the debris.

„Mike!? Are you alright? Where's Chuck?!" Dutch called after dreadful minutes of silence and it was only then, that Mike started working again. He was on his feet and began sliding down the cliff, toward the now calm pile of rock and bot remains and Chuck had to be there and if he'd see him bleed he'd scream.

Because there was no way Chuck could be hurt.

„Doctor.." he got out panting.

Dutchs mini-icon did not frown, but the artist behind did. „What?" he asked and visibly winced when Mike yelled back „GET A DOCTOR! BRING A DOCTOR HERE NOW!"

Julie shifted her weight and it dawned on her. „Chuck must be hurt." she whispered and there was an awful three second silence.  
„What are you waiting for! Move!" Mike called panicly.

He climbed the rocks where he saw the bright green edge of Mutts spoiler and began throwing the rocks to the side as much as he could because really that was the only thing he could think of to do. Chuck was running out of air.

„Get Rayon here, he should help with that bulldozer thing of his!" Mike screamed into the intercom panting.

„Mutts covered by rocks, Chuck is still inside, hurry for gods sake!"

„We're on our way!"

He was amazed of how well in shape Mutt still was, probably because she slammed into the wall after the explosion. It was what saved Chuck. That was what Mike believed.

But when he solely made his way to the passengers door – his hands ripped open and bleeding from the rocks and his jacket undone because of the sweat and finally he saw Chuck inside and wanted to yell from joy.

„CHUCKLES!" but the blonde was non-responsive.

And Mikes heart leaped in his throat. The window was smashed in and Chuck was still in his seat. Mutts B-pillar was bend inward from the impact and broke, the lower half of the metal drilled through Chucks skin and bone at his hip and was stuck there. The skin was pushed inward along the metal so that there was no blood, but his shirt was ripped apart. His arm looked terrible misformed, the bone snapped in two and the front half turned upward in 90 degree. His blond bangs were red from blood that dripped from the headwound.

Mike wasn't aware that the whimper came from his lips.

„Chuckles.." he whispered and did not dare to touch him. „Chuck..wake up..come on buddy..just..just-"

He didn't know what to say because what could he say? How was he to go on if Chuck wasn't there anymore? How were the Burners to go on? He exhaled when he watched closely and saw Chucks chest fall and rise slowly whenever he took a breath.

„Oh my god.." he whispered and held onto Mutts passenger door. Behind him, he could hear the engine of 9 Lives and Whiptail and the thundering of Rayons bulldozer and he wanted to laugh.  
„Do you hear, Chuckles?" he asked „They're coming to help, you will be okay ..you…" not so short after they arrived he felt how Dutch pulled him away gently and Julie hugged him. Mike leaned into the touch, exhausted, his arms hurting from the strain of freeing the pessengers door.

He could only watch how they pulled Mutt out.

How they sawed the B-pillar off and opened the passengers door to pull Chuck out and how Julies breath hitched when she saw the boy she considered family.

Texas wasn't even talking. He helped carrying Chuck over to the doctors who put him on a stretcher and into Sasquatch, Jacobs truck that offered enough space to put Chuck in lying on his back and Mike only watched how they drove off.

Rayon was pulling Mutt along and Mike took a seat next to Julie.

She was silent for the ride. And so was Mike. His knee was hoping up and down and he clenched his fist on his tighs.

Chuck had to be okay!

When they arrived at Dr. Hudsons place, the doctors asked them to wait, while Chuck was treated. Doc Hudson turned out not only to be an expert on the science field but talented to be a medic. He had been getting deeper into the materia to be a better help to the people of Motor City.

And it took an awfully long five hours they had to wait. Mike couldn't talk to anyone and the others were silent as well. R.O.T.H. Was silently buzzing and it sounded somehow sad, so Dutch went over and carressed his chassis absentmindly. Julie was trying to get by with playing cards with Texas but they both ended up throwing cards on the table without having a real system, just to keep their hands busy.

Finally, a nurse approached them, a clipboard pressed tightly to her chest.  
„Burners?" she asked and all of their heads flew up. „How is doing?!" Mike asked.  
„He'll survive.." Dr. Hudson said, joining the nurses side.

„But…he'll never be able to walk again."


End file.
